Nanocrystalline zinc indium vanadate: a novel photocatalyst for hydrogen generation

Hydrogen is a future fuel and hence production of cheap hydrogen is an important area of research. Recently, the photocatalysts were used to generate hydrogen from water and hydrogen sulfide splitting under solar light. Hence, we designed Zinc Indium Vanadate, a novel visible light active photocatalyst and used for the generation of hydrogen by using solar light. We have demonstrated the synthesis of ZnIn2V2O9 (ZIV) catalyst by sonochemical route using NH4VO3, In (NO3)3 and Zn(CH3COO)2 as a precursors and PVP as a capping agent. The obtained product was further characterized by XRD, UV-DRS and FESEM. The XRD pattern reveals the existence of monoclinic crystal structure and broader peaks indicating the nanocrystalline nature of the material. The particle size was observed in the range of 50-70 nm. The optical study showed the absorption edge cut off at 520 nm with estimated band gap about 2.3 eV. Considering the band gap in visible range, ZnIn2V2O9 was used as a photocatalyst for photodecomposition of H2S under visible light irradiation to produce hydrogen. We observed excellent photocatalytic activity for the hydrogen generation by using this photocatalyst.     

Synthesis of hydrophilic superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles via thermal decomposition of Fe(acac), in 80 vol% TREG + 20 vol% TREM

In this paper, we report single step synthesis of hydrophilic superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles by thermolysis of Fe(acac)3 and their characterization of the properties relevant to biomedical applications like hyperthermia and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Size and morphology of the particles were determined by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) while phase purity and structure of the particles were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Magnetic properties were evaluated using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements. The as prepared nanoparticles were found to be superparamagnetic with the blocking temperature of 136 K and were easily suspendable in water. Cytotoxicity studies on human cervical (SiHa), mouse melanoma (B16F10) and mouse primary fibroblast cells demonstrated that up to a dose of 0.1 mg/ml, the magnetite nanoparticles were nontoxic to the cells. To evaluate the feasibility of their uses in hyperthermia and MRI applications, specific absorption rate (SAR) and spin-spin relaxation time (T2) were measured respectively. SAR has been calculated to be above 80 Watt/g for samples with the iron concentration of 5-20 mg/ml at 10 kA/m AC magnetic field and 425 kHz frequency. r2 relaxivity value was measured as 358.4 mM(-1)S(-1) which is almost double as compared to that of the Resovist, a commercially available MRI contrast agent. Thus the as-prepared magnetite nanoparticles may be used for hyperthermia and MRI applications due to their promising SAR and r2 values.     

Thermoneutral Design Aspects of Gasoline Chemical Looping Reformer

Chemical looping reforming (CLR) is a new technology for syngas generation. The theoretical process design aspects of syngas generation using CLR of isooctane (gasoline) are studied in this paper to assess its ability for fuel processor development for solid oxide fuel cells. The fuel processor operating conditions for maximum syngas generation at thermoneutral conditions are determined in this study using nickel oxide as oxygen carrier for different inputs of oxygen carrier within the temperature range of 600–1,000 °C at 1 bar pressure. The thermoneutral temperatures for the dual reactor fuel processor were calculated using the hot product gas stream and exothermic CLR process enthalpy to completely balance the endothermic process requirements. The thermoneutral point of 879.5 °C (NiO input of 7 moles) delivered maximum syngas (13.92 moles) using lowest amount of air (26.13 moles) in the process was found to be the most suitable thermoneutral temperature for the fuel processor operation. The novel fuel processor design can also be used for other fuels and oxygen carriers.     

Surfactant-catalyzed SiO2 thin films preparation and characterization

SiO₂ thin films are in high demand for wide range of applications including microelectronics, optoelectronics, solar energy conversion, photocatalysis, and self-cleaning coatings. The performance of thin film is strongly influenced by surface properties like surface roughness, thickness, morphology, wetting behavior, and thermal stability. In these applications, the SiO₂ sols were prepared using tetraethylorthosilicate as a source of SiO₂ and deposited on 100?×?40?×?2?mm³ glass slide using dip-coating method for 2?min and calcined at 250?°C for 30?min. The SiO₂ thin films were obtained using DTAB, SDS, and Tween 20 (Tw 20) surfactants with the thickness of 36.92, 47.15, and 52.39?nm, respectively. Surface morphology was studied with AFM and surface roughness was depicted with 0.9528, 3.6534, and 0.9294?nm. Contact angle measurements have been performed with goniometer to evaluate the wetting behavior of the film. The contact angle of 58.01°, 48.40°, and 37.88° was observed with SDS, DTAB, and Tw 20 film, respectively. The SiO₂ thin films with SDS showed more surface roughness and water repelling ability when compared to DTAB and least with Tw 20.     

Exceptionally High Dielectric Constant in Ceramic Pr2CuO4

The pristine layered cuprate Pr₂CuO₄ samples of >95% density were fabricated as thin disks. The samples, analyzed by X‐ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscopy, showed clean T′‐type phase with Rietveld refined lattice parameters a = b = 3.95805(±5) Å and c = 12.2262(±5) Å. The measured dielectric properties of the Pr₂CuO₄ ceramics, in the temperature range ?100°C–150°C and frequencies (ν) 0.1 Hz–1 MHz, showed extremely high ε_r′ > 10⁴ (above ?30°C), and dissipation (tan δ = ε_r′′/ε_r′) between 0.1 and 5 (for 500 Hz ≤ ν ≤ 1 MHz, and ?100 ≤ T ≤ 150°C). The ac conductivity of Pr₂CuO₄ ceramics ranged between 10^?6 and 10^?3 Scm^?1 for the measured frequencies and temperatures, and showed frequency‐dependent double power law behavior akin to a modified Jonscher's power law.     

A structural VAR analysis of electricity consumption and real GDP: Evidence from the G7 countries

In this paper, we depart from the literature on electricity consumption–real GDP in that for the first time we examine the reaction of real GDP to shocks in electricity consumption. To achieve this goal, we use the structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model and examine the impact of electricity consumption shocks on real GDP for the G7 countries. We find that except for the USA, electricity consumption has a statistically significant positive impact on real GDP over short horizons. This finding implies that except for the USA, electricity conservation policies will hurt real GDP in the G7 countries.     

Deuterium thermal desorption from Ni-rich deuterated Mg thin films

Mg–Ni multilayers and Ni-rich Mg thin films were deposited by electron gun and pulsed laser deposition, respectively. Samples were submitted to thermal treatment in deuterium or hydrogen atmosphere at 423 K and 10⁵ Pa pressure to promote the metal to hydride phase transition.The H chemical bonding in the multilayer samples, after annealing in H₂ atmosphere, was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: the obtained spectra suggest that the samples with the Mg:Ni=2:1 atomic ratio contain the Mg₂NiH₄ phase while the samples with lower Ni concentration contain both the MgH₂ and the Mg₂NiH₄ phases.The effect of the Ni additive on the stability of the deuteride phase was studied by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). The TDS spectra of the single-phase Mg₂NiD₄ samples show a TDS peak at 400 K. The TDS spectra of the two-phase samples show both the D₂ desorption peak at 400 K and a second peak at higher temperature that we attributed to the dissociation of the MgD₂ phase. The high-temperature peak shifts to lower temperatures by increasing the Ni content.It is suggested that in the two-phase samples, the lattice volumes having the Mg₂Ni structure resulting from the dissociation of the Mg₂NiD₄ phase reduce the thermodynamic stability of the MgD₂ phase.     

Bio-functionalization of silicon nitride-based piezo-resistive microcantilevers

Methods of bio-functionalize silicon nitride involve process steps to convert it into an oxynitride via plasma implantation techniques. Such methods can potentially damage microstructures such as cantilevers. In this paper, we report successful bio-functionalization of Hotwire CVD silicon nitride-based piezo-resistive cantilevers without any oxygen plasma treatment. Process to fabricate such structures and to bio-functionalize them is discussed in detail.     

Sequence‐Specific HCV RNA Quantification Using the Size‐Dependent Nonlinear Optical Properties of Gold Nanoparticles

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single‐stranded (ss) RNA virus that is responsible for chronic liver diseases, such as cirrhosis, end‐stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Driven by the need to detect the presence of the HCV viral sequence, herein it is demonstrated for the first time that the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of gold nanoparticles can be used for screening and quantifying HCV RNA without any modification, with excellent detection limit (80 pM ) and selectivity (single base‐pair mismatch). The hyper‐Rayleigh scattering (HRS) intensity increases 25 times when label‐free, 145‐mer, HCV ss‐RNA is hybridized with 400 pM target RNA. The mechanism of HRS intensity change is discussed with experimental evidence for a higher multipolar contribution to the NLO response of gold nanoparticles.     

基于J2EE/CORBA的MODIS 1B数据发布平台的设计

提出了将J2EE和CADRBA的集成应用于基于HDF4格式的遥感数据发布系统的思想,介绍了HDF4文件格式,阐述了该应用的必要性;分析了该模型的体系结构以及客户端、应用服务器端、CDRBA组件和数据库的设计过程;最后展望了该模型的应用前景。